The Australian physiotherapy attrition and retention collaboration project: practitioner perspectives

BACKGROUND: Australia's healthcare system, a crucial economic pillar, faces significant workforce shortages, impacting its ability to meet increasing demand. These shortages, particularly acute for physiotherapists, are exacerbated by an aging population, rising chronic disease incidence, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Government's 2024 Skills Priority List confirms this national shortage, highlighting the urgent need for strategies to improve workforce planning, expand roles, and enhance retention. Therefore, it is vital to gain a deeper understanding of why Australian physiotherapists leave clinical practice and what would encourage them to remain. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore physiotherapists' perspectives on factors associated with the retention and attrition of physiotherapists in Australia and to identify potential strategies to encourage physiotherapists to stay in practice. METHODS: This study used a mixed-data collection approach, qualitatively analyzing open-ended cross-sectional survey responses from Australian registered physiotherapists and 21 semi-structured interviews with physiotherapists who volunteered to provide further insights. RESULTS: Study analysis identified four themes: (1) Anchors of physiotherapists retention, (2) Barriers to workforce entry: Navigating identity and system constraints, 3) Drivers of physiotherapists' attrition and (4) Retention strategies: Addressing systemic constraints and individual needs to sustain clinical engagement. These themes demonstrate the complex, bidirectional relationships between factors influencing physiotherapist workforce retention, highlighting a profession sustained by purpose but challenged by systemic issues. CONCLUSION: Overall, a collegial work environment, the ability to work close to family and being embedded in the local community, and career advancement motivate physiotherapists to stay in the profession. Conversely, poor financial sustainability, limited career progression pathways, and poor workplace conditions and burnout contribute to attrition. Strategies to support retention include improved remuneration, more opportunities for career progression and a focus on preventing burnout.